The Protectors Project
by Notrandomatall
Summary: Poisoned and dying, the Guardians have no choice but to find and train their successors to save and protect the wonder, hope, memories, dreams, and fun of children. But how did this happen in the first place? And who are they going to find to be the perfect match? The adults don't believe, the children... No. But who does that leave? Angst and whump galore, I don't own ROTG
1. Prologue

Jack ran through the forest, his bloody hair plastered to his face and a long gash running down the length of his back. But none of that mattered.

"Jamie," He rasped out, the woods parting in front of him to reveal the house shining like a beacon of light.

Movement next to a nearby tree sent him scrambling backwards, "No."

"Yes," The being growled.

Jack pulled all his reserves into one glare as he shouted, "No!"

And with that, his staff lit up, "Stay away from him."

"Make me," The creature growled once more.

Jack brought his staff to the ground, sending spikes of glowing ice towards the creature. The being backed away, only to advance again, rushing at the window. Jack flew up, blocking the creature - or rather, lack of one - from getting in.

It was just... quiet?

Jack stayed floating there for a solid thirty minutes, just to be sure, before he pushed open the window and crept in.

"Jamie?" Jack whispered, and the lights flickered on.

"Jack!" Jamie cheered, as if Jack wasn't standing there in his room, quite possibly bleeding to death - if that was even possible. In his defense, it was unlikely he would notice.

"What happened to you?" Never mind then.

"What, this?" Jack shrugged it off, wincing at the motion, "It's nothing."

Jamie deadpanned, "Jack your hoodie is hanging off of your back in pieces and you're bleeding on my floor. Now tell me what happened."

Jamie attempted to motion Jack onto his bed but the Guardian continued leaning heavily on his staff.

"Uh, Jack?" Jamie asked, becoming worried at the lack of response, "Jack, are you okay?"

Jack shook his head, stumbling back and plopping on the floor.

"North, get... North. Danger. Just-" Jack coughed up blood, "North. The lights. Go."

Jamie's eyes widened. He was asking for a meeting? Whatever it was, it must be bad.

Pulling out his snow globe - a gift from North last Christmas - Jamie quickly opened a portal, running through it and grabbing the nearest Yeti - Phil - so he could help carry Jack. Once Jack was through and the portal was closed, Jamie ran to North's office, shoving the door open.

"North!" Jamie shouted.

"Ah!" The older man yelped as his sculpture crumbled, "Vat did I say abou- Jamie?"

"Jack, he's hurt." That was all it took for North to pick up Jamie and carry him with him to light the Aurora Borealis.

It took all of five minutes for the others to arrive, and by that point Jack had been situated in a bed and was slowly regaining consciousness.

"How is he?" Were the first words out of Tooth's mouth when she saw Jack.

North motioned for her to follow him, leaving Jack and Jamie alone with a Yeti to keep watch.

"Not good," North began, gruffly, "I do not know vhat is wrong. The vounds... They are like nothing I've ever seen before."

Bunny arrived with Sandy, the two of them joining the conversation.

"What's wrong with the ankle-bita?" Bunny asked, standing on his hunches.

"North doesn't know," Tooth informed, and Sandy created a question mark above his head.

"I don't know. He-"

"Guys!" Jamie burst into the room, "Jack's awake."

The Guardians and Jamie quickly made their way back to Jack's current room. Bursting in loudly, the found Jack standing by the window, a hand on the glass.

He turned when they entered, "Uh... hey guys."

Sandy was the first to react, offering a brief wave and a smile before flashing a first aid cross above his head, a smiley face with a bandaid on it, and then a question mark in that order.

Jack smiled, "Yeah Sandy, I'm alright."

"You don't look very alright, Jackie," Bunny observed, taking in Jack's slightly translucent skin.

Jack gave himself a once-over before patting himself down, "Nope, I seem pretty fine to me. Now if you don't mind I just need my staff-"

"-And no way is that happening," The Guardians turned to Jamie who stood there, arms crossed and a deep frown across his face, "No, I did not just drag your injured butt to the pole for you to go out and get hurt again. So tell me, us, _someone_ , what happened."

After Jamie's rant, Jack sighed, rubbing a hand down his face, "You're right, Jamie. I'm sorry. I just- really don't want to think about it."

"Why?" Jamie asked with compassion, "And I'm sorry too, but you scared me. Just... please, tell us what happened."

"I can't," Jack look worried, "I want to, but I can't remember."

"His memories?" North asked, turning to Tooth.

"A head injury could possibly cause a lapse in memory." Tooth explained, looking more concerned by the minute, "He should regain them with time, bu-"

It was then that Sandy noticed the moon's beams falling Jack's feet. Sandy made a symbol, only to be ignored by the others. Five minutes of trying later and Sandy was fed up. Throwing a ball of dreamsand around the room, he accidentally knocked Jamie out, and when the others looked at him, all he could do was write 'oops' above his head and point at the moon.

"Let's get him home," Jack said with a laugh, picking Jamie up and looking from one Guardian to the next as he bitterly stated, "I'll take him, you all seem to have better luck with the MiM than me anyways."

"Jack-" Tooth began, but stopped when North place a hand on her shoulder, moving to open a portal for Jack.

Once Jack was through with Jamie - Sandy following just in case - the remaining Guardians turned to the moon.

"This better be important, Manny," Bunny spat angrily, "If you knew about a threat before Jack got hurt and didn't warn us I swear-"

 _'Silence, Bunnymund. I did not harm the winter spirit,'_ Then sadly, _'Not this time, at least. I have come with a warning. There is a new threat rising, one more powerful than ever thought possible. A minion is what hurt Jack. One I had not foreseen. But now that it has begun its task I must advise you. Find and raise up successors. There is little time to act, and limited sources to choose from. But we have no choice. This new evil... it is destined to kill us. Staring with Jack Frost."_

* * *

 **Dun dun dun... I have no clue what I'm doing but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Thanks for reading and don't forget to live life and love PINEAPPLES!**


	2. Chapter 1 : Nakia

"We're- he's- why?" Tooth spoke frantically as a portal opened, Jack and Sandy toppling out.

"Guys, we have a problem," Were the first words out of Jack's mouth.

 _Oh Jack, you have no idea..._ Was all the other Guardians could think.

Sandy began motioning with speed only he could muster, forming shapes above his head. A school, an exclamation point, and... and a gun.

"What?" Bunny shouted, opening a rabbit hole and jumping through, the rest of the Guardians quickly following suit.

The hole opened in the middle of the chaos. A high school on lockdown with police on their way and gunfire sounding from down the hallway.

"This way!" Jack shouted, flying down the hallway in front of the rest of the Guardians.

* * *

This was it. This was the end. She was going to die.

The shooter, a kid in her English class, stood in the doorway, a pistol pointed at the class as the Guardians slipped into the room unnoticed.

"What do we do?" Tooth whispered, knowing they couldn't do anything if the kids didn't believe.

Jack tapped his staff on the floor, winding frost and ice around the shooter's feet. The kid - why did it have to be a kid - took a step forward only to slip on the ice as Sandy knocked the entirety of the class out with dreamsand, fabricating an ending.

Unfortunately, the child squeezed the gun, firing off a shot into the crown, and it struck a girl, waking her up..

"What?" The girl spoke, wincing.

Looking around, she tried to scramble back, but the bullet in her side prevented her from moving.

"What do we do?" Jack asked, worried.

She looked around, _who said that?_

"I don't know. She can't see us. Well just pass through her." _Is this what happened before people died? They heard the voices of those they were going to join?_

A hand touched her head and someone gasped as another person said, "Jack. She believes?"

"I don't think she has much choice..." Jack mused aloud, "I know when I died I was open to anything saving me, so I believed in everything."

"Jack...?"

Jack shook his head, not that the girl could see with her eyes closed, "It's not important. Not anymore. Let's just get her help."

* * *

"Can you open your eyes?"

 _Hmm?_

"Come on, mate, You can do it."

 _What?_

Squeezing her eyes tight, she blinked multiple times before an empty room came into focus.

"What?" This time she spoke around, looking for the source of the talking. But she was alone in a bed with the Moon being her only company.

She stood, testing her wound before carefully making her way to the door. Peeking through the crack, she saw an empty workshop filled with scattered toys and no sound.

Opening the door farther, she moved through the building, unaware of the Guardians trailing after her.

"Where is she going?"

"How should I know?"

"She can't see us."

"Really, because I didn't know that." Jack said with sarcasm coloring his tone.

"Watch it, Frostbite."

"'Frostbite?' Really, that's the best you could come up with, Kangaroo?"

"Jack, Bunny, knock it off." Tooth ordered, and it was then they noticed only Sandy had been following the girl.

Jack rolled his eyes, flying to catch up with Sandy when the wind dropped him.

"Hey!" He looked around, listening, before turning to the other Guardians with urgency, "I'll be back, I need to go."

"What? Jack, you can't just leave."

Jack was desperate, "I need to. I'll be right back. Please don't fight me on this."

"Okay," North said, "Go."

Jack smiled, "Thank you."

"Did Jack just say, 'Thank you?' We really must be dying."

"What?" Jack yelped, but the wind had already whisked him away.

"Now," North turned back to Tooth and Bunny, "Back to the task at hand. How do ve get her to see us."

Sandy made a magnifying glass above his head and pointed at the desk, which had North's name on it.

"Ah, Sandy! Genius idea, but vhat else can we use as clues?"

Tooth looked around, briefly spotting Babytooth before focusing on her, "I know what to do! North, can you open a portal? I'll get her teeth!"

"Of course I can," North commented with bravo, opening a portal which Tooth exited and entered through within the span of a minute.

"Here they are," Tooth opened the box, careful not to coo over the teeth as she focused on the task at hand, "I can show her memories of when she believed."

"Vill we be able to see?" North asked.

"I think two of us should go into her memories and try to talk to her that way, while the other two stay here and give her clues." Tooth explained, "That way she'll be having those thoughts as the first explanation to come to her."

"Okay, then vhat are we vaiting for?" North asked, accent as noticeable as ever.

Tooth shrugged, activating the memory. And with that North and Bunny fell asleep as they were pulled into it.

"Alright Sandy, let's get to work."

* * *

"North... North, wake up."

North groaned, pulling himself into a sitting position, "Vhere are we?"

It was then a younger version of the girl ran out of the fields, giggling happily as she scooped up egg after egg.

"Nakia, come here," A man called in the distance, and the girl quickly hid the eggs in a ditch under a rock before stuffing one into her basket and hurrying home.

"Coming!"

North and Bunny followed and watched as the presumed father of the girl swept her up in his arms. She giggled as he tickled her, both smiling as he placed her gently on the ground, sitting besides her.

"Nakia, I have a gift for you," The father whispered.

"What is it, Papa?" The little girl asked, with poorly contained anticipation.

"Close your eyes," He ordered, and she did just that.

The man the pulled out a large Easter basket and placed it on her lap, "Okay, open them."

The girl opened her eyes and gasped, hugging the basket to her, "Thank you, Papa!"

"You're welcome, my little hamama."

The girl giggled, "Papa, I'm too old for that name."

He moved, holding his daughter close, "You'll never be too old to be my baby girl."

* * *

The memory shifted, now the girl and her father were underground. North and Bunny looked around as the ground above them shook, the now older girl crying, "Papa, I'm scared."

"I know, hamama, but it'll be okay. Just stay quiet and they won't find us."

The girl fell asleep crying, Sandy taking extra care to give the children the best dreams imaginable.

* * *

"Papa!" The girl called, crawling out of the rubble, "Papa!"

Soldiers swarmed her, and she kneeled with her hands above her head, sobbing her eyes out as she spotted the dead figure of her father laying outside the soldiers circle.

The soldiers spoke in English, a language she did not understand at the time, but she held a hatred for it since the first time she heard the nasty sound.

Snow fell softly around her as soldiers led her away, and the older Guardians spotted Jack pacing around the town, tears freezing on his cheeks and hand in his hair, clearly agitated.

"Jack?" North moved towards the boy who seemed to not notice him, so he repeated, "Jack."

Jack turned and walked through North.

"Jack?" Bunny whispered.

North shook his head, explaining, "It's a memory. How, I don't know. But Jack was here."

Jack spun and looked at the moon before screaming, "How could you? You knew this would happen and yet you allowed it to. I get abandoning me, but these people... what have they done to deserve this? Nothing. The answer is nothing. Why did you let this happen? You could've gotten me, I would've come sooner and I would've stopped it. I don't know how but I would have, you know I would. Do you really despise me so much that you won't even let me help people if it meant talking to me?"

Jack's voice broke on the last words as he fell to the ground, sobbing for a moment before he touched his head to the ground, frosting it over, and stood with resolve in his eyes.

He turned defiantly to the moon, "I will fix this. I swear it."

And with that he stalked off towards the girl, his eyes softened at the state of her, "Hey there, I know this sucks, and I know you can't hear me. But I'll make this better. I promise."

* * *

The memory cut to an even older version of the girl, one almost the same age as she is in the present, but maybe half a year younger.

A fire crackled with stocking set up above it and a decorated tree in the corner.

"Cheer up, Kia. It's Christmas!"

The girl only curled further into herself, burying her face in her knees as she fell asleep on the couch.

Time lapsed briefly and before a memory-North came down the chimney with his bag of gifts.

He pulled out a list, checked it twice, and once he was certain Nakia and the other foster children weren't naughty but nice he placed multiple gifts under the tree for each of them before uncurling Nakia's hand and placing a small package within it.

Time lapsed again before Nakia woke, opening her hand with bleary eyes, she noticed she was the only one awake and chose to open the gift. It was a necklace, a pendant to be more exact. And within it was a picture of her father and herself, together, smiling.

Nakia put a hand to her mouth, crying as she placed it around her neck. But when the Guardians took a closer look, they could she a wobbly smile through the tears.

Back in the workshop, Tooth and Sandy were doing everything the could to heard Nakia through the workshop without disturbing anything. Finally back in North's workshop, Tooth saw a blackboard used for designing toys and pulled it off of the shelf, writing words on it.

Nakia turned around at the sound, only to jump back as the chalkboard was placed on the floor.

"What the?" She moved forward, reading the writing aloud, "'Welcome to the North Pole.' Um... what?"

She let out a noise of surprise as the chalk was erased and new writing took it's place, "'More specifically Santa's Workshop. This is the common ground of the Guardians, who you can not see unless you believe in them.' Yeah right, like I'd believe that. Prove it."

Sandy looked around before pulling a Jack and sprinkling dreamsand on the window and shaped it to be a picture of each Guardian individually, while Tooth wrote their names on the chalkboard in turn.

"No way..." The girl muttered in awe, blinking multiple times, "So, you're in the room? Who is?"

Tooth wrote her name, then what to call her, followed by Sandy's title, and to call him Sandy.

"So I'm supposed to believe that I somehow got from my school - where I was shot - to the North pole thanks to the Guardians, which right now means Tooth and Sandy?"

Tooth and Sandy looked at each other, Sandy shrugged, so Tooth wrote 'Yes' on the board.

"Yeah, cause that'l-" Nakia gasped as memories overtook her and suddenly she was in her mind experiencing the school shooting but with the Guardians there.

She snapped back to the present, blinking and rubbing her eyes. She lowered her hands from her face as her eyes widened, looking from Tooth to Sandy, then from Sandy to Bunny and Bunny to North, the two of which had exited the memories and made their way to North's office.

Nakia was speechless as Tooth waved, "Sorry this is so sudden, but we didn't have much of a choice."

The was a moment of awkward silence, "So... Where's Jack Frost?"

"What?" It was Bunny and North's turn to be confused.

Tooth jumped in, explaining, "He had to leave, he'll be back soon."

Nakia's brows furrowed as she chewed on her lip, "Okay."

More awkward silence, "So... You believe now... Do you mind if we ask you your name?"

Nakia nodded after a moments contemplation, "Seeing as I have little to no clue what's going on, sure. I guess it can't make the situation any worse. My name is Nakia, but everyone calls me Kia."

"Well Nakia, do you know any reason why that kid would try to shoot up a school?"

Nakia shook her head no at Bunny's question, "It's not like Riley at all, there were no signs. Riley is an amazing student and my best friend, it just doesn't make sense..."

Back at the scene of the shooting, Jack approached the classroom from which Riley took action. He inspected the sleeping form of Riley, kicking the gun out the door and looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Jack pulled back Riley's jacket, and there trailing down from Riley's ear was a trail of nightmare sand with black veins wrapping around the expanse of Riley's neck.

Jack was thoroughly confused. Scooping up the sand into his hand, he grabbed a jar off of the counter and put the sand inside, closing the lid.

He took flight, holding the jar up to the sun and watching the nightmare sand move to get away. Following the movement of the sand, Jack found himself in an alley halfway across the country.

Jumping down, entering the alley hesitantly. Hearing a noise, he spun around only to find something he'd never expected to find wedged between the gaps of an alley's walls.

* * *

 **It kind of appeared off there, sorry.**

 **And sorry it's so choppy, but thanks for reading! Constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged! Unrelated to the choppiness, but yes.**

 **Don't forget to live life and love PINEAPPLES!**


	3. Chapter 2 : Vinnie

Jack took a step towards the child, beaten and bruised, who sat curled up in between the cracks of the walls. A group a adults rounded the corner.

"Vin..." The group called tauntingly, "Why don't you come out and play?"

Jack could tell the child was trying to withhold a whimper and his resolve steeled once more as a wave of protectiveness washed over him, "Stay back."

Of course they didn't hear him, but that didn't mean he couldn't stop them. Well, technically he wasn't allowed to - it went against elemental law - but that's never stopped him before. Besides, it's a kid. Of course he's gong to help.

Icing the ground, Jack flew behind the group and asked the wind to shove them forwards in time with them getting hit in the head with Yeti-sized snowballs. Needless to say, they slipped and fell.

Jack pranced up, icing their feet to the ground and, once making sure they weren't getting out anytime soon, he drew arrows of ice on the sides of the buildings to let people find them. Still, he wasn't about to leave the girl by herself, so he stood, crouched on top of his staff waiting for her to muster the courage to leave her hiding spot.

In the meantime, he entertained himself by drawing frost patterns over the surrounding walls and ground, re-icing the now unconscious - still breathing, Jack avoid killing the best a spirit of winter could - predators. By that point it had started snowing faintly.

"Snow? Frost?"

"Yes," Jack spoke absentmindedly as he watched the forms on the ground

He heard a gasp and spun around to find the girl staring directly at him. He looked around trying to find what she was staring at. Seeing nothing, he dumbly pointed at himself and squeaked out a baffled, "Me?"

The girl nodded, mouth agape.

"You can see me, how?"

The girl, who had nodded yes at the first chunk of the sentence, furrowed her brows and tilted her head in thought, "It was kind of obvious. I mean, frost, snow, ice, all of which magically appears when I, a child, was in trouble. Haven't you read Katherine's stories?"

"Who's what now?" Jack asked, becoming more confused by the minute.

The girl shook her head, "Legends, mythology, folklore. I like it."

"You're surprisingly calm for someone who was almost..." Jack shuddered.

The girl simply shrugged, "You stopped them," then she winced, "Besides, it's not the first time it's happened. Doesn't mean I'm used to it anymore. I just... I mean, I... You saved me. Guess I'm running on adrenaline or something?"

Jack smirked, "Well whatever it is, I think it's great. And I'm glad you'r-"

Jack fell off his staff, holding his head in his hands. He winced, attempting to gain his bearings as the girl raced forward.

"Jack! Are you okay?"

Jack nodded slowly, "I need to get back to the pole. Do you have someone who can get you?"

The girl shook her head no.

"Do you have a place to go?"

A hesitant no.

"A name?"

The girl scoffed, "Of course I have a name! It's Vinnie."

"Well Vinnie, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jack Frost, would you care to accompany me to the North Pole?" Jack threw as much false charisma into the sentence as he could, purposefully making a fool out of himself and getting Vinnie to give a small smile.

After a moments contemplation, Vinnie asked, "Where in the North Pole?"

"North's place," Jack answered simply.

"North? Whose North?" Jack was confusing her more by the minute.

"Oh, he's Santa."

* * *

One snow-globe portal later - no way Jack was leaving without one in the near future - and the duo were in Santa's Workshop.

"Welcome," Jack introduced with a sense of grander, "To Santa's Workshop!"

He then leaned down and whispered, "I've been trying to get in here for years."

"What?" Vinnie squawked, "You're not supposed to be in here?"

Before Jack could answer her, North barged into the room, "Ah Jack! Vas vondering where you got to."

"Santa's Russian?"

"Oh great, you can see them too?" Nakia asked, walking into the room with the other Guardians behind her.

"Of course I can see them," Vinnie defended, "I mean, they're a big different than I expected, but I still believe in them. So I can see them."

"It's official, this is all a dream. A crazy dream or hallucinations or mental breakdown causing me to see a bunch of creatures-"

"-They are _not_ creatures-" Vinnie interjected.

"-that aren't real." Nakia finished.

Vinnie rolled her eyes, forcing herself not to have an anxiety attack, she stepped forward. At the ready to defend Jack and the people who seemed to be Jack's friends. Who, regardless, we're people.

"They're the good guys." A glance at Tooth, "And girls. Besides, Jack helped me and these _people_ , emphasis on people, are with Jack. And Jack stopped the bad people so they must be the good people."

Nakia was silent for a moment, "They kidnapped us."

"Hey, we were trying to save you from a nightmare-sand-induced bullet!" Jack defended while everything disintegrated into madness.

"The bullet had nightmare sand in it?" Tooth asked.

"And paramedics couldn't do that?" Nakia argued.

"Hey, I dont know about you, but I came willingly. I want to help!" Vinnie supplied.

"Where did you find nightmare sand, Frostbite?" Bunny asked.

Sandy tried getting everyone's attention directed to the moon.

"Is that a giant rabbit?" Vinnie asked, noticing Bunny for the first time.

"Actually he's a Kangaroo." Jack smirked.

Sandy facepalmed.

"I am not a kangaroo, mate." Bunny stated.

"Bunny," North interjected, and for a moment Sandy had some home, "Does not matter if Bunny or Kangaroo, all that matters is that Christmas is better than Easter."

"Are they always like this?"

"How should I know?"

Tooth deadpanned as she answered the girls, "Yes, yes they are."

Sandy was frantically trying to get their attention, conjuring a sand drum and symbol with a music note above his head.

Bunny began inching close to Jack, Jack doing the same to Bunny until they were nose to nose. They were in a full blown argument at that point.

Sandy was scanning for an elf.

"North, I swear this better be good," Bunny shouted when North tapped his shoulder. North pointed at his tail, which was now dyed bright pink, "Frost!"

"It wasn't me!"

A loud squeaking noise drew everyone's attention to Sandy, who was standing there with a rubber chicken in his left hand with his right pointing at the moon.

"Man in moon," North began, turning to Sandy, "Sandy, vhy didn't y-"

Sandy cut him off with a squeak.

* * *

In the remnants of Pitch's lair, a woman strode into the shadows, "Father."

She grew a flower in the circle of sunlight shining through the gape she had made, its roots trailing up and wrapping around Pitch's body.

"I will free you. And we will have your revenge."

* * *

 **Ah yes, a very serious story about the Guardians and Co... Who am I kidding? Live life and love PINEAPPLES!**


End file.
